Cutlery device



Nov. 5, 1957 J. w. HUNT ETAL 2,811,775

CUTLERY DEVICE Original Filed June 12. 1953 IN VEN TORS. JOHN I HUNT WILLIAM A. Hu/vr 14 7' TORNE V5 United States Patent CUTLERY nnvrcn John W. Hunt and William A. Hunt, Pontiac, Mich.; said William A. Hunt assiguor to said John W. Hunt Original application June 12, 1953, Serial No. 361,366. Divided and this application March 12, 1956, Serial No. 570,926

4 Claims. c1. 30-142 The present invention relates to a pocket cutlery device which includes the conventional blades, screwdriver, awl, can opener, bottle opener, and the like and also includes therein a novel nail clipper.

This application is a division of application Serial No. 361,366 filed June 12, 1953, in our names, now Patent No. 2,771,674, issued November 27, 1956.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a pocket cutlery device which includes any desired combination of a conventional blade or blades and tools and a novel clipper device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pocket cutlery device wherein a novel nail clipper is mounted in operative position within the housing of said device in such amanner as to provide room for the conventional blades, bottle opener, awl and the like usually included in said devices.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a pocket cutlery device including a housing, a nail clipper mounted in said housing in operative position, an operating arm for. said nail clipper, and. a recess in said housing to receive said operating arm when folded into its inoperative, position so as to provide a pocket cutlery device having smooth surfaces with no projections.

therefrom to catch on the inside of a pocket or handbag when said device is carried therein.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the pocket cutlery device'of Fig. 1 showing the positioning of the blades and nail clipper within the combination handle and housing and showing the operating arm of the nail clipper in operative position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view partially in section of the nail clipper of the pocket cutlery device of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a front View of the nail clipper of Fig. 3 showing a modified pin and operating arm in position therein and,

Fig. 5 is a top view of the modification shown in Fig. 4.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to Fig. 2, the pocket cutlery device comprises the combination handle and housing 11, the blades on 2,811,775 Patented Nov. 5, 1957 12 and 13, the nail clipper 14, and the operating arm for the nail clipper 14.

The combination handle and housing 11 includes the upper plate 16, and the lower plate 17 assembled in spaced parallel relationship to provide therebetween the recess 18 to receive the blades 12 and 13 in their storage positions and nail clipper 14.

Nail clipper 14 is permanently mounted in operative position within housing 11 so that the jaws 19 are flush with one end of the housing 11 to allow access thereto.

As shown in Fig. 1 the upper plate 16 of the housing 11 is provided with the external recess to receive the operating arm 15 therein when said operating arm is in its inoperative position. A hole 26a is provided between external recess 20 and internal recess 18 at the outer end of the recess 20 for a purpose to be explained hereinafter.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the nail clipper '14. The nail clipper 14 comprises the upper fiat spring member 21, the lower flat spring member 22, the pin 23 and the operating lever 15.

The flat spring members 21 and 22 are joined at one end and the hole 24 is provided through the joined ends thereof. This hole ispreferably square or of rectilinear cross section so that a rivet having a square or other irregular-cross section may be'passed therethroug'h to rigidly affix the clipper -14 to the upper plate 16 (Fig.

2) of housing 11.

The lower fiat spring member 22 is bent downwardly as 'at 25 and thence upwardly to form depression 26 therein. The upper and lower spring members terminate in jaws 19. The pin 23 has the head 27 thereon and passes upwardly through depression 26 and through the upper spring member 21. In the assembled position of the cutlery device the pin 23 extends upwardly through hole 20a.(Fig. l).

The end of operating arm 15 has the convoluted finger 28 formed thereon which is received in the hole 29 provided adjacent the upper end of pin 23. Arm 15 is thus afiixed to pin 23 so as to enable said arm to swing over the top of said pin.

The struck out portion 30 is provided on arm 15 adja-cent the finger 28. As shown in Fig. 3, this struck out portion 30 serves as'a fulcrum for operating arm 15 when said arm is in its operative position. It is believed apparent that bydepressing the free end of arm 15, whenv in its operative position as shown in Fig. 3, the jaws 19 will be urged together to out anything placed therebetween.

The operating arm 15 may be swung to the left (Fig. 3) over the end of pin 23. The pin 23 is free ot rotate so that the arm 15 may then be turned to lie in recess 20 as shown in Fig. l.

The flat portion 23a is provided on the convoluted finger 28 so that the biasing action of the clipper aids in holding lever 15 in its inoperative position within recess 20.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, a modified operating arm and pin for use in the nail clipper of Fig. 3 may be described in detail.

The pin 23a passes upwardly through the depression 26 in lower spring member 22 and through a hole provided in the upper spring member 21. In the assembled position of the cutlery device the pin 23a extends upwardly through the hole 20a (Fig. l).

A head 27a is provided on pin 23a and one end of an operating arm 15a is pivoted in a slot 32 provided near the upper end of pin 23a.

The operating arm 23a is provided with the struck down portion 30a which serves as a fulcrum when the operating lever is in the operating position shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now to Fig. 5, it can be seen that the struck down portion 30a in the arm 15a leaves a cross bar 34 which engages in slot 32 of pin 2311. This struck down portion also leaves the opening 36 in the arm 15a so that the arm may swing over the end of pin 23a.

As shown in Fig. 4, the top of pin 23a is chamfered as at 36 so that the operating arm 15a may be swung to the right over the end of pin 23a until the struck down portion 30a engages the unchamfered edge 38 of the top of pin 23a. Since the pin 23a is free to rotate, the arm 15a may then be turned until it lies concealed in the recess 20 (Fig. 1).

From the above description it can be seen that we have provided a novel pocket cutlery device which includes the usual blades or tools and a novel nail clipper.

We have also provided a novel pocket cutlery device including a nail clipper wherein said nail clipper and the operating arm therefor are received within recesses provided in said cutlery device so as to provide a pocket cutlery device having smooth contours so that no projections are left to catch on a pocket or handbag when said device is carried therein.

In the above description where we have made reference to blades mounted in our pocket cutlery device, it is to be understood that we contemplate substituting therefor any other desired tool, such for example as screwdrivers, awls, bottle openers, and the like without departing from the spirit, scope and purpose of our invention.

Having thus described our invention we claim:

1. In a pocket cutlery device including a housing, and 'a plurality of blades pivotal-1y mounted at one end of said housing, the provision of a recess in the opposite end of said housing to receive the jaws of a nail clipper, said recess being open toward the end of said housing, a nail clipper comprising upper and lower flat spring members joined at one end, a cutting jaw formed on the free end of said upper spring member, said lower spring member being bent downwardly from a point inwardly of its free end and thence upwardly toward said upper spring member and terminating in a cutting jaw cooperating with the jaw on said upper spring member, said bent portion of said lower spring member being a substantially semicircular depression, an operating pin passing upwardly through said depression and through said upper spring member, a head on said pin engaging the lower surface of said depression, an operating arm pivota-lly mounted on said pin above said upper spring member, said arm adapted to be pivoted over the end of said pin to lie back in an inoperative position in spaced relationship from said upper spring member, a pin of irregular cross section passing through the joined ends of said spring members and aflixing said nail clipper within said housing, said clipper being positioned within said housing with the jaws thereof within the aforementioned recess provided in the end of said housing, and an external recess in said housing to receive the operating arm of said nail clipper when said arm is in its inoperative position.

2. In a pocket cutlery device including a housing and a plurality of blades pivoted at one end of said housing, the provision of a first recess in the opposite end of said housing, a second longitudinal recess in the top of said housing with one end thereof overlying said first recess, a passageway communicating between said first and second recesses, a nail clipper mounted within said housing in operative position with the jaws thereof positioned in said first recess, said nail clipper comprising upper and lower fiat spring members joined at one end, a cutting jaw formed on the free end of said upper spring member, said lower spring member being bent downwardly from a point inwardly of its free end and thence upwardly toward said upper spring member and terminating in a cutting jaw cooperating with the jaw on said upper spring member, said bent portion of said lower jaw member being a substantially semicircular depression, an operating pin passing upwardly through said depression, through said upper spring member, through the said passageway communicating between said first and second recesses and terminating in said second recess, said pin being free to rotate; a head on said pin engaging the lower surface of said lower fiat spring member, an operating arm hingedly afiixed to said pin adjacent the upper end thereof, said arm adapted to be swung over the upper end of said pin to lie in substantially parallel relationship with said upper spring member and then movable in a horizontal plane by pivoting of said pin to position said operating .arm within said second recess in the inoperative position of said operating arm.

3. A cutlery device as claimed in claim 2 and further characterized in that said operating pin is provided with a slot adjacent the upper end thereof and said operating arm is provided with a struck down portion forming a cross bar adjacent the end of said arm which is positioned within said slot in said pin.

4. A cutlery device as claimed in claim 2 and further characterized in that said operating in is provided with a hole adjacent the upper end thereof and said operating arm is provided with a convoluted finger on the end thereof passing through said hole in said pin.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,704,398 Hunt Mar. 22, 1955 

